In UDNs, network nodes that provide wireless communication service to user equipment (UEs) are located closer to each other than in less dense “macro” networks. A UE may therefore transition between service areas of different network nodes when it is moved over a smaller distance relative to the distance for transitions between service areas in less dense networks. Service area transitions by UEs may also occur more often in UDNs.
Current Long Term Evolution (LTE) systems rely on handovers between network nodes to support UE mobility between service areas. It may be desirable to avoid handover processing every time a UE transitions between service areas, especially in networks such as UDNs in which frequent service area transitions may be expected.